Outdoors: Winter weather hard on wildlife

I recently watched a rabbit hop across the snow-covered field across the road from my house.

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By Kenneth L. Kieser

The Leavenworth Times - Leavenworth, KS

By Kenneth L. Kieser

Posted Mar. 8, 2013 at 7:51 PM

By Kenneth L. Kieser

Posted Mar. 8, 2013 at 7:51 PM

Leavenworth, Kan.

I recently watched a rabbit hop across the snow-covered field across the road from my house.

He moved slowly across the white cover, occasionally looking back toward the nearby woodlot for any signs of danger in predators.

He moved a little farther and then stopped to look back again, clearly looking for the terrors that had recently caused him stress in a game of survival.

The rabbit suddenly hopped a bit quicker over to a big, green cable box that stood out in the white surroundings.

The little guy took one more look around and the burrowed down under the snow beside the box. He had won one more day as a survivor.

I have watched pheasants burrow down in snow with ease to find grain in a row-crop field. Larger animals like deer dig through ice and snow with their hooves to find meager tidbits, too.

Coyotes, foxes and birds of prey are rewarded with small game that have few places to hide. Rabbits, rodents and quail with the best cover and food sources probably will make it.

Many will not. They have a low survival percentage and generally a good reproduction rate.

Make no mistake; this winter’s snow was rough on wildlife populations.

Let’s take a closer look at other species:

Fish survival depends on amounts of oxygen that filters through the ice. Snow lying for long periods on a shallow frozen pond is disastrous. Sun penetrating through the ice helps create oxygen that is badly needed for fish survival.

Fish in deeper pools have a greater chance of survival.

Bobwhite Quail Bobwhite quail will change a lot of their habitat this winter,” said Elsa Gallhager, upland wildlife coordinator.

“They’ll spent more time near shrub-type cover with bare ground underneath or cornfields when available. They will likely stay in coveys around their chosen habitat until April. Then they will split up in pairs to breed.”

However, quail pair up early during unseasonably warm March weather. Then they start nesting and may have an early hatch of chicks.

Some biologists claim they might nest again while others believe breeding is once each spring.

Other birds “A certain group are permanent residents here like chick-a-dees and nuthatches,” said Brad Jacobs, ornithologist. “We will see different species migrating into this area as spring progresses. Geese and swans may have already moved into this area and stayed while some pushed on through. But ducks will soon be arriving. They will move north when open water is present.”

March is considered the time for short-distance migrants who are generally seedeaters. Robins, field sparrows and other species that winter in the southern United States move north, eventually passing through our area.

Page 2 of 2 - Long-distance migrants that mainly eat insects start moving in from the tropics. This might include warblers, fly catchers and orioles. Hummingbirds follow the same pattern.

Long distance species will nest in May. They generally stay in the northern states two to three months before returning south.

Great horned owls, bluebirds, red tailed hawks and species that build nests inside tree cavities or boxes started nesting in late February and early March. Some may be in open nests, braving the weather.

Babies stay under their parents for warmth. But an extra layer of fat also insulates younger birds, especially birds that are eating well.

Wild Turkeys Wild turkeys fare well in the worst conditions by finding food while digging through snow, ices and mud with their sharp claws. Adult birds provide quite a fight against most predators with their strong wings and sharp spurs.

Yet, folks who walk through woodlots will occasionally find a pile of feathers that belonged to the turkey that lost a violent fight.

You can still see big flocks of hens and young birds feeding in open row crop fields. Toms occasionally join them. However, toms always roost in different locations than hens or young birds. You can tell a turkey roost by droppings under a tree.

The ground will be splashed white. Tom droppings are J-shaped, harder to see and not quite as messy.

Toms and hens will eventually separate into smaller groups for their spring ritual of breeding and then nesting. Most toms are in bachelor groups.

This group of four or five toms spends a great deal of time establishing dominance or their pecking order.

Generally an old long bearded gobbler will be the dominant bird that does most of the breeding.

Trees Spring has a magic effect on trees. During fall, the sap retreats to the trunk. A limb laden with sap would easily break with the added weight of ice and snow.